*MOTO TRIP* *DAY RIDE* **LAYMAN'S GUIDE!** The 1095 Pai Road - A succinct slice of Pai ~!

LAYMAN'S GUIDE series.  No waffle. Non wax-lyrical. Straightforward. 

 THE 1095 ROUTE TO 

PAI 

Whether on a scooter or a bigger bike, here is the Zed CM layman's guide to the 1095 route to Pai

ROUTE: From Chiang Mai city, head for route 107 (see map above - also note my tip about taking route 121 initially). This road is a busy dusty road, get through it best you can, nothing really to enjoy here. When you hit the junction with the 1095 left turn towards Pai, i recommend that you DO NOT turn left. Instead, head straight on for approximately 700 meters to the Shell Garage and fill up.

(There are small village petrol pumps dotted along the way but if you fill up at this garage, you shouldn't need to fill up along the way. Scooters included). If you have a bigger bike with a higher tank capacity, you won't need to worry about filling up here..but its a good fuel stop in any case). Once filled, make a U-Turn and head on to the 1095 and into the hills towards Pai.


The 1095 is a twisty fun road, but ride within your capabilities. For fast riders this road will only take a couple of hours..but can take as much as five for inexperienced riders. Add to that possible stops too. So keep in mind it could be a potentially long ride if you are on a small bike and are inexperienced. 

My personal top stop-off points: 

32 Coffee Hill: This is my staple stop off point, which is around half way to Pai. A good place for a drink, plus they have nice toilet facilities if you need to freshen up. 32 Coffee Hill is also within a restaurant and resort complex, so if you find yourself hungry or very tired, it is worth knowing these facilities are available too. When on route to Pai or just enjoying the road, this is usually my only stop off point. But if you have time, the next two destinations are worth visiting...

Mork Fa Waterfall. (The waterfall is BEFORE 32 Coffee Hill, so keep that in mind). I love this waterfall, but tends to get busy. It also has an interesting twisty road area to explore, if that's your thing. The waterfall itself is 60 meters high, very pretty and a great place to cool down. National park fees apply.  
8am - 6pm. Entry fee: 100 baht adult (20 baht for Thai), Parking 20 baht (motorbike).

Huai Nam Dang

Huai Nam Dang is a huge expanse of national park with spectacular views, hot springs and waterfalls. You can also rent a cabin in the National Park, and camping is permissible, but only if you bring your own equipment. 8am - 5pm. 200 baht for adults (40 baht for Thai), 100 baht for children (20 baht for Thai) *I need to check update on prices, as National Park fees have increased.


*NOTE*
Checkpoints: On route you will come across a few checkpoints, usually with only one main one being manned. Slow down when approaching and make sure you remove sunglasses and have as much as your face shown as possible. Normally you will not need to stop and be waved through. 

Pai

When you arrive in Pai I suggest you head straight for the PTT garage and refuel. (Tourist Police on left hand side, PTT straight on for 300m until you see the PTT garage on the right hand side)

 ENJOY PAI! 

For Pai and beyond I recommend the GT.Rider Mae Hong Son Loop Map

..and there you go. Have fun.

*IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATION* Take water, wear a helmet, wear protective clothing, take a mobile phone, have a license, have insurance!

*MOTO GEAR* GT.Rider Maps

Ok..so, you will notice on a few of my blog posts that I've mentioned GT.Rider maps.
These maps are a staple of most riders exploring the northern territory of Thailand and Laos regions.

David Unkovich aka Mr GT Rider, has been exploring Thailand for decades and his maps are well-respected guides. Teamed with GPS, these maps have got me back on track, and offer insightful and interesting routes. They also include recommended places to visit and to stay etc.

So, they are definitely something i advocate as part of your riding "gear".

You can buy the maps online or via these outlets.

GT.Rider also has a forum, where you can read about other riders trip reports and gain advice and help on border crossings etc.

Big fan! Can you tell? :p

*MOTO TRIP* - Mae Hong Son Loop (through route 1263) Chiang Mai > Mae Hong Son > Mae Chaem> Mae Wang> Chiang Mai.

A trip in which i retrace the route of my accident I had four year ago.

Setting off early to make good time, I headed for the 1095 to Pai. The 1095 is a well-loved moto route, both for scooters and bigger bikes. If you love your twisties, this road is for you!

At the time of this trip however, the road was still undergoing reconstruction. So, unfortunately it was a far more cautious and slower beginning to the trip that I have enjoyed in the past. Usually I will stay in Pai for a night and chill out, but this time I just stopped off for lunch and short relax then continued on towards MHS instead. I missed out Fish Cave, which is actually a really great place to visit, and also Lod Cave.

Just before MHS you reach a town called Soppong. I had been told that Soppong River Inn was a lovely place to stay. So I headed there. I arranged to stay in a bungalow on the river, which had a nice peaceful feel to it. Until, that is, a large group of riders checked into the bungalow next to me. The noise was really quite bad and a lot of people were getting drunk and rowdy. It required being brought up about to the owner. Thankfully she was understanding and offered another room. However, what happened instead (which was really very nice of them) was that the group of riders who were told about the noise disturbance, decided to move to a different bungalow instead. I did feel a little guilty but at the same time I got a much needed quiet time and a good nights sleep. The bungalows at River Inn are close to each other so noise reverberates, sadly. It was a very scenic place though and would stay again.

In the morning I allowed myself a long lie in before check-out then set off for Mae Hong Son for lunch. Had a quick look around MHS and grabbed a bite to eat at Salween River Restaurant. Enjoyed the food and the prices, and the owner was lovely.
They also had a GT.Rider map up on the wall. Nice one! Cant recommend this map enough!
Get yourself one if you plan on exploring the Northern regions and Laos.



I ended up taking far longer in the restaurant than I should of and realised I wasn't making good time if i wanted to get to Mae Chaem. There were dark clouds looming also, and it seemed a spot of rain was heading my way. I absolutely didn't want to stay in Khun Yuam, that's for sure, as too many bad memories from years before (I'm referring to my accident, which is what this trip was actually all about..). So I headed off for the 1263, only stopping in Khun Yuam to fill up. As I mentioned previously, this trip was a cathartic one for me, because it was all about retracing my steps when I had a serious accident 4 years previously on the same day. I recall nothing of the route due to the concussion I sustained and I wondered if riding along the same route would bring back any memories. But nothing was coming back to me.

I found the road fun to ride on, as it was now completely resurfaced making it an easy ride.
About half an hour into the ride a small thunderstorm hit and it was really refreshing. It didn't last long and at the end I was rewarded by a beautiful rainbow (a double rainbow in fact!). I felt good. I felt happy. I was finally going to finish the trip I never finished those years ago.



About another half hour or so on 1263 route I was losing myself in enjoying the ride and had to remind myself to keep a look out for any possible reminders. I had been going along happily, I felt good, really good, when suddenly a weird thing happened. You can read about that and watch the video i took here.

Anyway after I recovered myself I headed on towards Mae Chaem, happy that I the past was now behind me. Before I got to Mae Chaem the sky was getting dark. I had set off way too late in the afternoon and with the rainstorm stops (2 stops)  and the time resting near my accident point, I found myself beginning to ride in the dark (and around these areas it really is PITCH black at night). The headlight on my dtracker is poor and the GPS on my phone was out (because i had no signal), so as I wasn't sure how much further it was to get to Mae Chaem, I decided to rest up at the first town I came across. Found a small town and some ratty accommodation owned by a sweet old couple and rested up for the night, after eating at a local cheap eatery. In the morning, when I headed out for Mae Chaem, it turned out to be just about 15 mins away haha. But no regrets, I enjoyed the quiet cheap place. There was also one very lovely aspect and that was the brightness of the stars outside. There were very few streetlights and no road lights anywhere around the area, so the sky was stunning. It was a little spooky at times though...BOO!.

Anyway, headed into Mae Chaem, fueled up and then took the road to Mae Wang. Really great curves and enjoyed it a lot. Came out at Doi Inthanon, but didn't go up. I do have a Doi Inthanon trip report here though (link to be added). I also saw a monkey at Doi Inthanon checkpoint, which I really didn't expect. Apparently there are some monkeys living around there. Here is a video I got of it (he sprayed on that lady's red car. Cheeky bugger!)

I actually (embarrassingly) don't quite recall what i did after that. I think I was just on a high. A high from the trip and from it being such a significant trip for me. I do remember arriving home a bit later and thinking "I wish I was still out riding!".
I could have kept going. I felt exhilarated and happy to be alive.

Safe travels friends.

My bike got just a tad dirty on this trip..haha.

*MOTO TRIP* (Scooter): Mae Hong Son Loop

 Chiang Mai> Pai> Mae Hong Son > Khun Yuam > Ob Luang > Chiang Mai

Another trip on my Yamaha Fino 115cc, which sadly had a bad ending (serious motorcycle accident).

You can read about that here, but for the purpose of this trip report i will leave the details of the accident out.

You will notice the map is not a neat loop. That's because it was on the 1263 that the accident happened, and there was a turn back to Khun Yuam Hospital.

Anyway.... this trip had planned to be a 3 day, 2 night trip, but i think was 3 or 4 (or 5!) nights due to the accident.

Day 1:
Chiang Mai to Pai (stopping off for coffee at our usual stop-off point, 32 Coffee Hill) . Checked into a resort called PaiLanna Which was ok, if i recall, but a little chilly and the beds were hard. This was the scene outside in the morning.
Brr!

Day 2:
After a bit of a look around Pai (which at that time was nowhere close to as popular as it is now. It still had a hippy vibe, but it felt much less touristy), checked out of the accommodation and headed off towards Mae Hong Son, planning to stop at Fish Cave on the way.


I really loved Fish Cave. It felt like something out of avatar:

At Mae Hong Son, I was lucky with the accommodation. I went looking around and found a big hotel. When I inquired about the price and said it was too pricey (in a nice way, in Thai), the lady at the desk told me to wait a moment. She got on a walkie-talkie and then when she came off it  she said she had something to show me for (i think) 400 baht (im sorry, i don't quite recall). Anyway, someone came and led around to the back of the hotel..which was under development, but STUNNING! The accommodation was a beautiful bungalow that was next to a man-made lake area. Accepted the room and was happy as could be.

Thankfully the room also had a bath, for to be honest i was aching. I suffered terrible pain in my kidneys from all the bouncing around on a bike that is like a brick to ride. Since then i always wear a kidney belt and that has really helped the issue ten-fold.

Had a quick look around MHS and then headed to bed early. To be honest my concussion from the accident has kind of wiped out most of my memories of this day..so i don't have a lot to share.

Day 3:
Found out that a friend from Chiang Mai was planning on staying a night at Khun Yuam (taking his family to see the famous Sunflower Festival), so ended up heading that way and staying an unplanned extra night in Khun Yuam. I really dont remember much sadly. I remember having dinner with them, but that's about it.

Day 4:
My friend had told of the lovely sunflowers via route 1263, although warned the road was very pot-holey. So, changing plans (unfortunately), i headed down route 1263 instead of the established MHS loop route. It was indeed extremely pot-holey and lots of gravel (this has now been resurfaced, as i retraced my trip 4 years later, which you can read here). Unfortunately around an hour or so into the route, i crashed. I was wearing an open faced helmet and no gloves. My face and hands took damage. You can read about this accident here. I was concussed. Luckily a kind Thai couple picked me up and drove me back to Khun Yuam hospital...and a pickup truck took my bike back along to the hospital too. I had good Karma that day, even though unlucky to have the accident in the first place. I was lucky too in that on the whole 1263 route there were rarely any vehicles at all. So to have two vehicles pass within moments (im guessing moments) of my accident, was nothing short of miraculous. So i spent another night (or two) in Khun Yuam.

Day 4:
I was not riding solo on this trip and so i decided to load myself up on strong painkillers and wrap up my face (which was already bandaged), and brave a pillion trip back to Chiang Mai via Ob Luang. This was a lesson in mind-over-matter, for I said nothing on this trip, but i was in horrific pain. Each bump sent waves of searing pain through my body and face. It felt like days passed, rather than hours. I also had a lot of thinking time and kept replaying the hospital and the small flashbacks i had. Trying to recall the actual accident, which i couldn't. I was also extremely sorrowful and didn't know how bad a mess my face was in or what the outcome would be damage and scar-wise. Not an easy trip....

However, the trip itself is quite wonderful..and the MHS loop is very enjoyable.

I also recommend GT.Rider MHS loop map for this trip.
Invaluable.